Megamorphs #5: Parallel Universe
by Twisted-Fate
Summary: Changed the rating to PG to be on the safe side. Takes place after book 54. Cassie, as the only surviving animorph, is visited by the Ellimist, and gets a suprise... perhaps her friends aren't dead, completely.
1. Chapter 1: Cassie

CHAPTER 1  
  
Cassie  
  
  
  
  
  
My name is Cassie.  
  
But you probably already know me. It seems like everybody knows me these days. I guess that shouldn't be a suprise. After all, I'm the only surviving Animorph. Or so I thought.  
  
We had fought the Yeerks. Jake, the leader; Marco, the comedian; Tobias, the red-tailed hawk/human; Rachel, the beautiful, blood-thirsty mall rat who was my best friend; Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (Ax), an Andalite cadet who was Elfangor's brother; and I, "good ol' tree huggin' Cassie" had.  
  
We had fought hard, and the war was long, but it had ended. I guess you could say the Yeerks lost, but it seemed like we lost. Especially Jake and Rachel. Rachel, who I will never forget, died fighting. She died at Jake's command. He had basically sent her on a suicide mission. He had sent her to kill his brother, Tom. Rachel had killed Tom, but had been killed herself.  
  
Even though we all knew Rachel had to die, because her lust for blood was too strong, I blame it on myself. I should have never given the Yeerks the technology of morphing...  
  
And as for Jake... well, Jake went from age 14 to age 30 in a month. He had seen too much. He'd made too much life-or-death decisions. After the war, he practically had an emotional breakdown, poor guy.  
  
But anyway, we technically won the war with the Yeerks. Jake got the Yeerks to leave Earth.  
  
After the war, we all went our seperate ways. I don't know where Jake went. Marco turned into a comedian (who saw that coming?) and appeared on hundreds of TV shows. Ax went back to his homeplanet. Tobias came and hid with me. I helped fix and recreate wild places around the world.  
  
You may wonder why I'm telling you this story. You may be thinking, "what more is there to tell me? It's all over, isn't it?" Well it wasn't over. Not for me.  
  
He visited me one day. The Ellimist. For some reason it didn't take me by suprise.  
  
"Cassie." He said. His gaze met mine and I shivered. So much wisdom in them.  
  
"Yes, what do you want now?"  
  
"You have won the war." He smiled slightlty... at least I think he did. It's hard to tell when an alien species smile, especially with Hork- Bajir and Andalites. "But, there is another." He added, sadly. I mean, I was pretty sure he was sad. "Crayak is up to his old tricks."  
  
"Huh? Another what?" I asked. "Another war?" The Ellimist nodded.  
  
"Yes Cassie, and this war has already started."  
  
"Crayak is up to his old tricks? Does that mean that the Yeerks are involved?" I asked. The Ellimist nodded again.  
  
"They've taken over the Andalites."  
  
"WHAT? How am I supposed to fight them alone?" I exclaimed, losing my cool. Not that I had it in the first place.  
  
"You won't be alone."  
  
"But Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Marco and Ax are..."  
  
"Alive. Completely alive." He said.  
  
"Huh?" Now I was definetly confused. I was pretty sure I had watched Rachel die...  
  
"Listen Cassie. Your friends live in another dimension. Humans would call it..." He thought for a moment.  
  
"An afterlife?" I asked.  
  
"No. A parallel dimension. An altenate universe. Um... another timeline." Then, with a wave of his hand, the Ellimist created a three- dimensional image of the barn -- my barn -- in what seemed to be thin air. I looked at the image as it shimmered, and figured it must be some Ellimist technology.  
  
"Your friends are all here." He said, pointing at the five figures in the image. He was right, except only one thing was missing.  
  
"Where am I?" I asked.  
  
"In the parallel dimension you... died."  
  
I was shocked. I felt stunned, my brain just stopped working. It felt like someone had jumped off the wrestling ropes and onto me, knocking me unconscious.  
  
It felt like... well, I don't know what it felt like. It felt like someone had just told me I was dead in another place.  
  
Even though I wasn't looking at him, I felt the Ellimist's eyes studying me. "So Cassie," he said gently, "the reason I am here is because the other Animorphs want you. Need you."  
  
"But wouldn't that be bending the rules?" I asked.  
  
The Ellimist shook his head. "No. Crayak has done it."  
  
"Really? With who?"  
  
"With... nevermind. No more questions about Crayak." He seemed reluctant to give answers. I wondered why.  
  
"So... how am I supposed to travel to the other dimension?"  
  
The Ellimist looked at me, then closed his eyes for about ten seconds.  
  
Then, he opened them. "Now."  
  
And that was the last thing I heard before the whole world flashed, and everything went white. 


	2. Chapter 2: Cassie

A/N: Sorry for the inconvienence, but FF.net doesn't allow me to upload the thought speak indicators, so I replaced them with :: ::.  
  
  
CHAPTER 2  
Cassie  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello? Yoo-hoo, anyone in there?"  
  
::Or anything in there.::  
  
"Tobias, it's Cassie for Pete's sake! Not a Yeerk."  
  
::Yes, I do not believe Cassie would surrender herself to a Yeerk. Just one question: who's Pete?::  
  
"Ax, it's an expression."  
  
"Everybody back off and give her air."  
  
I heard and recognized all these comments and voices as I regained consciousness. The voices, in order, were Marco, Tobias, Rachel, Ax, Rachel, and Jake.  
  
I opened my eyes, and saw the sky. The normal, Earth sky. Then I realized I was laying down, and I sat up. I saw my friends, the Animorphs. I also saw green grass and large trees in the distance. Of course.  
  
I knew that I should've expected it, because it was a parrelell universe and everything was the same, but I didn't. I don't know what I expected.  
  
I studied my friends closer, and felt like hugging all of them and crying, but I didn't. How would you feel if all your friends had died long ago, and after all this time, you get to meet them again?  
  
I didn't know what to say.  
  
"So, Ms. Parallel-Universe-Cassie..." Marco said, reaching his hand out and shaking my hand. "Welcome to World War III." He said with a grin only Marco could wear.  
  
I blinked. Just blinked.  
  
::Maybe her vocal chords aren't functioning properly,:: Ax commented. Just how Ax would comment.  
  
I laughed, a little. This was real! My friends!  
  
"I'm beginning to think you're right, Ax," Jake joked. Unfortunately, Ax didn't get the joke, and thought Jake was serious.  
  
::Yes. Does this disease occur often in humans?:: Ax carried on.  
  
"Ax, he was joking. You know, humor?" Marco said.  
  
::Ah.:: Ax said, almost dryly.  
  
I finally piped up. "Hi," I said, lamely. I mean, these were my friends! Shouldn't I act normally?  
  
::How do, Cassie?:: Tobias said, tipping a wing to it forehead as if he were tipping a hat. ::You know, in this timeline, you are...::  
  
"Dead." I finished his sentence.  
  
"She seems only to be able to speak one-word sentences," Rachel laughed.  
  
I smiled a little, and said: "what's up?" I purposely spoke in two words.  
  
"Well, Earth is under siege by the Yeerks, and they are fighting a war against us 5 who are Earth's only hope since the Andalites have been overtaken by the Yeerks, and over two-fifths of Earth's human population have been overtaken by Yeerks, but other than that, nothin' much." Marco said, and everyone laughed. Except for Ax, who just seemed puzzled.  
  
"So..." I looked at my surroundings. "Where are we?"  
  
"We are in a clearing in the woods near the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic," Jake answered.  
  
"In other words, near your barn." Marco interpreted helpfully.  
  
"We're here because Tobias believes the barn has been infiltrated by the Andalites."  
  
::No, I know so. I mean, please, we're talking Andalites here. The must have some way of discovering our plans. Hasn't anyone noticed that lately the Andalites seem to be ready for us?:: Tobias responded.  
  
::Yeerks, not Andalites.:: Ax said. I looked at him. He seemed to be hurt in an Andalite-ish kind of way. I knew that I had a reputation of knowing how humans are feeling, and understanding them. Maybe my talents weren't limited to only humans, and maybe I could understand other sentient species.  
  
And then I realized something. The rest were all my age. Around 17. Did that mean the war had been lasting for three years, or had it just started?  
  
"Anyway," Rachel said, "before you and the Ellimist decided to show up, we were trying to figure out how to find and destroy the Andalite..."  
  
::...Yeerk...:: Interrupted Ax.  
  
"...Andalite-Controller spy-cams." Rachel said with a slight glare at Ax. But any glare from Rachel was enough to make a sensible human shrivel up into nothingness and weep for Rachel's forgiveness.  
  
::HAHAHA!:: Ax said, with an odd laugh that made us al wince. ::Andalite cameras are nothing like your primitive human cameras. Andalite spy cameras could be the size of large pebbles and be extremely hard to find, if you didn't know where to look.::  
  
"So," said Jake, neutrally, "do you know where to look?"  
  
::No.::  
  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marco get ready to break out into laughter, cough and make a sarcastic comment all at the same time. Believe me, it was almost as ugly as morphing. Miraculously, he held back on all of them. Except for the cough.  
  
::Maybe we should find the cameras,:: Offered Tobias helpfully.  
  
This time, Marco couldn't hold back. "Yeah, and then we can poop bomb them!"  
  
Rachel ignored him. "But the question is, what animal would be good enough to see the cameras?"  
  
"Maybe we can stake out the farm with birds," I said.  
  
::No, too suspicious.:: Said Tobias, who was circling around overhead. All of a sudden he dove down to the ground, thought-speak yelling: ::Visser One is coming, along with five other Andalite-Controllers! Get outta here!::  
  
Jake cursed.  
  
Marco sighed. "Man, whaddaya expect? Welcome to a typical day in Animorph life." 


	3. Chapter 3: Animorphs

CHAPTER 3  
Rachel  
  
  
  
  
  
"Battle morphs!" Jake ordered, and I sighed.  
  
I had finally gotten a chance to meet up and chat with my long lost best friend, but Visser One comes along and destroys the opportunity. Typical.  
  
I was about halfway done morphing grizzly bear when Tobias interrupted. ::Wait... why would Visser One come here with so little protection?::  
  
I looked at Jake, who seemed to think about this for a moment. "Alright then," he said in a voice slurred by his tigerish jaw. "Demorph and morph birds. We're gonna spy on him."  
  
"Alright!" Marco cheered, already demorphing. Then, doing his best accent, he said: "the name's Bond. Marco Bond."  
  
Jake just rolled his eyes as he started morphing osprey. I morphed Eagle.  
  
I began to say "Let's do it!", but Marco interrupted.  
  
"Hey, I need my own catch phrase! How about 'let's get down to buisness?' You know, like that Eminem song? 'Let's get down to buisness, I don't got no time to play around what is this, there must be a circus in town we'll shut this...'"  
  
"Oookay, Marco." Jake stopped him just as he grew a beak. Marco grinned at him just before he grew his beak. Ax was just puzzled.  
  
When we were all done morphing, we flew up into the trees that surrounded us. We waited as Visser One came into view, and when he did we were shocked beyond belief.  
  
Visser One was holding a video-cassette, with a label we could read with our bird eyes: "Andalite Bandit Activity and Plans".  
  
And somehow, I knew that he knew we were here.  
  
::Well well,:: Visser One sneered. ::If it isn't the 'so-called' Andalite Bandits?:: I was right, he knew we were here.   
  
He started morphing into a huge, orange/green/brown/yellow creature, with suction cups surrounding his head. His tail blade dissovled into his back and his four legs fused together to form two legs. His arms grew thicker and stronger, and his fourteen fingers turned into six, three on each hand. When he was done morphing, he looked like a cross between an octopus, human and Hork-Bajir.  
  
::I'll get you now,:: Visser One said, and with that he leapt. He landed on the tree right next to me, clinging on to the middle with claws I hadn't noticed. Oh, they were big claws. Big, getting bigger...  
  
*Cassie*  
  
I watched in horror as Visser One raised a tremendous arm and swiped Rachel right through the center of her bird body. It was cut in three as it fell off the branch lifeless. It was Rachel-death rewritten all over again... what was happening? Was she destined to die or something?  
  
Suddenly I felt sick. I wanted to quit, I had already have enough. It took me a second to realize everyone else was flying, and I took off after them quickly. I heard Visser One howling behind me, but I didn't turn around. Suddenly, nothing seemed real. It felt like it was all a fantasy.  
  
We landed and demorphed without Jake ordering us to.  
  
Jake, always solemn. Marco, not in a joking mood anymore. Tobias crying. Ax, observing and learning. But it wasn't real, was it? They were all already dead... I was confused. But I wasn't sad... what was happening to me? I just... just felt numb.  
  
Suddenly I wanted to be home again. I wanted to be back, feeding injured birds and morphing skunk to tend for pups who had lost their mother.  
  
I was tired, and I realized that I had nowhere to sleep. I was, supposedly, dead. I went to the park and slept there, on a bench, easily passing for a bum. But I wouldn't be any happier that next morning...  
  
*Tobias*  
  
That night, I morphed human and cried. I had secretly tracked Cassie down and landed near her, morphed human and cried. I cried for almost two hours.  
  
Life was useless. I had nobody I truly cared about. My family was basibally gone. Rachel, my "girlfriend" was dead. The only thing that kept me alive was fighting for a helpless race, the humans. I mean, I barely got along as a hawk.  
  
When I finished crying I gasped for air before morphing hawk. Humans really were good for expressing emotion. Wait, what was I saying? I *was* human! I though-sighed.  
  
Having nothing better to do, I took to the air in search of something to do or eat. Yes, I should eat, I was hungry.  
  
I started circling overhead a Burger King dumpster.  
  
::Should I?:: I wondered. ::Do I really want to eat dead meat?::  
  
I realized that I had no choice. Another red-tailed hawk had captured my field and made it into his territory. It was either Burger King or starvation.  
  
I actually had to think twice about that... 


	4. Chapter 4: Cassie

CHAPTER 4  
Cassie  
  
  
  
  
  
I woke up, and it took me a moment to remember that I wasn't in my own bed, in my own universe. I was on a bench in the park.  
  
I sat up and rubbed my eyes, fully awakening when I discovered my breath was disgusting.  
  
I realized that I was starving, and I had no way to get food in my human form. I morphed to osprey (A/N: I think Cassie's bird-of-prey morph is osprey, please tell me if I'm wrong!) and spread my wings, taking to the air.  
  
I flew around, watching everything below as if through a magnifying glass, binoculars and a telescope combined. I had not morphed osprey for a couple years (not couting yesterday's encounter with Visser One), so it took me a little while to get re-adjusted.  
  
Then, looking ahead, I saw what I thought could only be my Animorph friends: five unique birds flying in neat formation together.  
  
I clumsily flapped over to them, still not adjusted to my bird morph. ::Hi guys,:: I said.  
  
One of them, probably the leader, looked at me. ::One of the human child bandits! Attack it!::  
  
I was wrong, these weren't my friends. I had overlooked something: Rachel was dead, so that meant there should only be four birds.  
  
::Oh, shi--::  
  
  
  
I woke up for the second time that day, except this time it wasn't on a park bench, it was in a barn.  
  
I opened my eyes, and stared up at the faces of my friends. The nasty, huge-pored, dirty faces of my friends. And Marco's disturbingly uneven haircut. I was still in bird morphs.  
  
::Oh no!:: I started panicing. How long had I been in bird morph? Thirty minutes? Sixty minutes? Was I a nothlit? There was no way to tell. No, wait... there was.  
  
I began demorhing. No no no! Not working! How could this be! My claws... they're changing! They're fingers! Mini fingers. I pushed harder. ::Must demorph!:: Slowly, I began changing. My wings turned into arms.  
  
"Cassie, what happened?" Jake asked.  
  
::Andalites in...:: I started, but faded off because my beak was turning into a mouth.  
  
I looked at Ax. Actually, check that. There was no Ax.  
  
"Andalites in bird morph." I said, and realized they were all looking away from me. I blushed, realizing I wasn't wearing anything. I morphed to bird again.  
  
::They attacked me. I-- I thought it was you guys.:: I continued. They looked at me again. ::By the way, where's Ax?::  
  
"Kidnapped," Jake said. He seemed distracted by something.  
  
I nearly choked. Rachel dying, Ax getting kidnapped... there was something odd going on, but I only knew what it was way in the back of my mind. The same things had happened in my timeline...  
  
This was serious. I mean it was a coincidence, but it was serious too. If the Yeerks infested Ax all of our secrets would be discovered.  
  
"This is insane," Marco said, not for the first time. "If Rachel were here, she'd have us storm the place, and..."  
  
"Yeah, but Rachel's not here, okay?" Jake said, almost angrily. Something was definetely bothering him. I decided I woul ask him what it was. Later.  
  
"I'm sure Ax could escape," I said, trying to cheer everyone up. "He could morph to fly and get out of there."  
  
::No,:: Tobias said. ::They would catch him and kill him in mid-morph.::  
  
"Or zap him when he was a fly. Andalites have good seeing and accuracy," Jake said.  
  
Geez, what was with these people? Why all the gloom all of a sudden? No, nevermind, I knew why.  
  
"Visser One wouldn't risk killing one of us," I said, still struggling to lighten the mood.  
  
Marco brightened for a second, but it disappeared. ::He killed Rachel,:: Tobias responded.  
  
Aargh. Fine, they were right. But there had to be some way to get in there... I suddenly snapped my fingers.  
  
"I have a plan," I said, grinning...  
  
I guess I still had my reputation in this universe, because all Marco could said was "oh... no..." 


	5. Chapter 5: Marco

(A/N I've probably lost 40% of my readers by dropping Ax and Rachel, but don't worry, they'll be back)  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 5  
Marco  
  
  
  
  
  
Morphing Yeerk is a horrifying, idiotic, extremely risky thing. So how did I wind up doing it? I'll tell you.  
  
Over time I've observed an effect being an Animorph has on females: it makes them go crazy. Insane. Absolutely, totally woolly.  
  
I've seen it in Rachel. Her overpowering bloodlust. Her craving for battle.  
  
It's in Cassie, too. Maybe it's more subtle, but oh yeah, it's there.  
  
Like the plans she makes. They're twisted. So, completely twisted. Dangerous, and insane.   
  
She always makes us morph the strangest things. You know... any king of bug, spiders... I mean, who else do you know that morphs Anteater?  
  
Whoops, stupid question.  
  
Anyway. I guess you're wondering what her plan was. Well, lemme tell you, I wasn't. I was hoping and praying she wouldn't say it, and that it wouldn't be crazy.  
  
Hah! Fat chance.  
  
You see, we were going to morph Andalite. Is that so bad? No. It isn't.  
  
But actually, not all of us were going to morph Andalite. Only a lucky pair would.  
  
Me? Well... I'm nowhere near lucky.  
  
So, that's how I wound up morphing Yeerk. Yep, Yeerk. According to Cassie, she and I would infest Jake and Tobias.  
  
Absolute insanity. Well, at least I wasn't getting my mind read.  
  
Oh, by the way, we were going to enter the Yeerk pool directly through the main entrance. Through the main entrance! It was suicide, I tell you.  
  
The main entrance was a hole in the ground 5 miles west off route 94, near exit 66. I guess the Yeerks did have a sense of humor, 9466 was Visser One's number.   
  
So, do you think searching for a 10 foot hole somewhere along a five mile field is hard? Okay, well, the main entrance was covered up by a hologram extending 90 feet in every direction. We wouldn't be able to see it until we got close enough. Oh yeah, not to mention the fact that once you step inside the hologram, there will be two dozen Hork-Bajir guarding the stupid hole. One wrong move, or one wrong word, and you're toast. A dozen Dracon Beams shot at you at once.  
  
How did we know all this? Our only resources were the Chee and Tobias, who accidentally stumbled upon it while following a suspected controller.  
  
A little while later we had all morphed bird and made our way along the route 94, reading the exits as we passed them. 62... 63... 64... 65... 66. There.  
  
We landed and demorphed in a bush away from all the highway where cars could see us. Unfortunately we discovered the bush had thorns a bit too late, and Cassie and I waited painfully as the others morphed Andalite (we had all acquired Ax a while ago). Then came the bad part.  
  
Cassie was first to morph, and I swear she set some kind of a record. It only took like thirty seconds. Once she was done I had to fight down the urge to step on her as I morphed. Slowly, slowly I shrank down, and two antennae emerged from my forehead. My arms and legs dissolved into my body and I fell forward onto my stomach. I watched as Cassie crawled into Jake's ear. Yuck. That was the last thing I saw before I lost my sight. And my hearing. Well, I could still hear really faint sounds, like the cars on the highway.  
  
The Yeerk in me was easy to control, but it felt panicky at first.  
  
Dry! it thought. I'm too dry, I need to swim, Kandrona rays! Can't fire echoloaction!  
  
I fought the Yeerk down and felt around with my antennae, trying to make sense of where I was. I felt something pick me up, and I panicked more.  
  
::Relax Marco. It's me.:: Whew, it was Tobias. I relaxed a little.  
  
I felt him hold me up to his ear, and I immeaditly crawled in. Ah, safety.  
  
::Okay, here's the plan,:: Jake said. At least, I think it was Jake. ::Yeerks, don't take control of us, we'll do all the work. You act as props for the BioFilter, if they have one.::  
  
Then a moment of silence. Wait -- what was supposed to happen? Oh yes, this was the part where Rachel says "Let's do it!".  
  
Man, I must have been developing watery eyes... for once I couldn't make a joke to cover for what I felt.  
  
::Yeah, I miss her too,:: Tobias said.   
  
::Huh?:: It took me a minute for my mind to register what happened. ::Oh yeah,:: Tobias could read my thoughts if I wasn't careful...  
  
We started walking along, into the field and revealing ourselves to guards we couldn't yet see. I could see everything and hear everything Tobias saw and heard. I could even taste the grass beneath my feet.  
  
::Here's the deal.:: Jake ordered. ::Tobias, you lead. You know where the pool entrance is, and we need to make it seem like we've been here many times. If anybody asks, say "our host bodies are twins".::  
  
Tobias nodded slightly, without looking at Jake. We/Tobias pulled ahead of Jake/Cassie.  
  
Soon we were there. I could feel it when we stepped through the hologram. I didn't even have to look to know there were Hork-Bajir nearby.  
  
"Halt!" One of them ordered, stepping in front of us and blocking out path. He pointed an Advanced Dracon Beam at us. Believe me, once I learn a gun's name and look, I don't forget it. Especially when it is pointed at me. I have to know about guns -- I'm in danger of being shot all the time.  
  
"State your buisness!" The Hork-Bajir blocking us commanded, not moving an inch.  
  
::You fool, I'm going to feed!:: Tobias said, trying to imitate a Yeerk.  
  
The Hork-Bajir lowered his gun a little. Obviously he had been through this a lot. "What's your name?"  
  
::Uhh...:: I thought. ::Epson 851.:: I told Tobias. He relayed it to the Hork-Bajir.  
  
"Okay, who's your friend here?" He jerked his gun toward Jake/Cassie.  
  
::Um... Delan... 911. Yeah, he's Delan 911.:: Tobias said. The Hork-Bajir stepped aside.  
  
"You may enter, but you smell funny. Don't pull anything weird, eh. Go." He grunted.  
  
Bleep. Succesfully past the BioFilter and down a ramp that led underground to you-know-where. It was pretty steep, but our tail kept us from falling face-foward. I knew this ramp was definitely designed for Andalites.  
  
As the Yeerk pool came into view I groaned. ::Man, how the heck are we gonna find Ax in here? Look at all the Andalites!::  
  
I guess neither Jake nor Cassie had thought about that, because they paused. I groaned again. ::Oh well, we tried.:: I said. ::C'mon Tobias, turn around.::  
  
Tobias ignored me. ::Ax isn't here,:: he said in a tone that was matter-of-a-factly.  
  
::How can you tell?:: Jake/Cassie asked.  
  
::Because, I...:: Tobias was cut off by a deep voice.  
  
The deep voice bellowed: ::They're not controllers, after them!:: Someone pointed at us.  
  
And then like heck we ran.  
  
We got out of the Yeerk place as fast as we could, out running the Hork-Bajir guards because they had been caught off guard. We were well outta there and demorphed before those Hork-Bajir-Controllers realized what happened. Only one guard shot, and it nipped one of my/Tobias' stalk eyes. Nipped as in completely blew it off.  
  
"Well," Jake said, after we demorphed. "Since neither Ax nor Visser One was in that place, I bet I know where they are." Jake said. Wait a minute... was he smiling?  
  
"Man, you're really scaring me..." I said.  
  
Jake ignored me. "They're on the Blade Ship."  
  
I looked at Cassie, who must've been completely caught off-guard on something, because she nearly lost her balance and fell over. "What!?" 


	6. Chapter 6: Animorphs

CHAPTER 6  
Cassie  
  
  
  
  
  
That night the Ellimist visited me.   
  
It was just becoming dark, and I was walking home (which was some abandoned half-alive park), when someone seemed to jump out at me.  
  
"Cassie," he said. He was in human form, and old man leaning on a cane.  
  
"Yes," I said in a semi-exasperated voice. I was exhausted, but he didn't seem to notice.  
  
"I've come to warn you," He said. "Have you noticed any strange coincidencs lately?"  
  
"Umm..." I thought.  
  
"Like Rachel dying, Ax disappearing..." He hinted.  
  
"Oh." I said. Of course.  
  
"Cassie, I fear you are the cause of these... happenings."  
  
"Huh?" I asked, totally taken by suprise. It was like a blow to the back of my head as I was waking up.  
  
"Do you remember a long time ago when you and the other Animorphs were sent to another timeline to try and live like normal kids? Well, you wrecked that timeline." He paused. "I think you are breaking up this timeline, too. This time you're sub-consiously modifiying it so that it fits the other timeline.  
  
"Can you do anything about this?" I asked.  
  
"I'm afraid not," He said. Can the Ellimist even be afraid? "But... I can warn you about something that will happen tomorrow."  
  
"...And what would that be?" I asked when he didn't tell me what it was.  
  
"Jake is going to try to rescue Ax. He'll be accompanied by Tobias, Marco, an Andalite nothlit stuck in human form named Mendresh, and another woman.  
  
"Oh." I said. I was so tired I was ready to pass out right there on the spot.  
  
"Cassie, you need to stop Jake."  
  
I nodded, went back home, and fell asleep in two seconds flat.  
  
*Ax*  
  
Slowly, I regained consciousness. When I was almost fully awake, I took notice of my surroundings.  
  
Like the air. It was unbreathably thin, it was a wonder I had regained consciousness -- or survived -- at all.  
  
I knew I was stuck in a ship of some sort. It was tiny. Not Helmacron sized, just smaller than the average Andalite dome ship. I couldn't see yet, but I knew it was a ship. My claustrophobia was starting to kick in. I've heard that it is uncommon for humans to have claustrophobia, was this a human ship?  
  
I laughed to myself. Humans did not have the technology to build such a ship. The only kind they could make was one that could barely make it to the moon and back... although, that was thirty years ago...  
  
It smelled like humans were around, alright. I could now see dimly. I was in a narrow room, and there was a door in the northwest corner.  
  
I slowy stood up. We seemed to be moving, but I was not sure where. My sense of direction was thrown off. We were definitely in space.  
  
I walked over to the corner, and readied my tail. I opened the door. There was a single Andalite-Controller with a dracon beam guarding the exit.  
  
::Hey...!:: He said, but before he could react anymore, I knocked him out with the side of my tail blade, and took his dracon.  
  
::Tsk,:: I thought. ::They really don't make Andalite-Controllers the way they used to.:: It was that they on that I realized the truth behind human sarcasm... the worst sarcastic remarks come when one is extremely nervous or stressed, but still everybody laughs.  
  
I looked around. Now I was in a hallway, with half a dozen doors in front of me, three doors on each side. There was also a door on the opposite wall of the door that I had come out of. ::Probably the operating room,:: I told myself.  
  
Then, something in the back of my head urged my to morph to fly. So I did, and not a second too soon.  
  
Just as I finished morphing, Visser One emerged from the door I had assumed was the operating room. He spotted the unconscious guard on the floor near the room I had come out of.  
  
::GET. THAT. ANDALITE!:: He hissed. Suddenly, two Andalite-Controllers emerged from each of the half dozen doors on either side of me.  
  
::Phew,:: I thought. ::It's a good thing I didn't look in any of those doors...:: I looked at the Andalite Controllers. ::Uh-oh.:: Two of them were armed with bug spray... I looked around for an escape. Ah yes, the operating room! Visser One had left it slightly open. If I could only fly across the hall unnoticed, I could easily morph back to an Andalite in that room, and maybe take out Visser One before I died... heroicly, like my brother...  
  
::Visser One!:: One of the guards said. ::I found it!::  
  
I looked at the one who said it. He was pointing at me!  
  
::No, over here!:: I yelled. Visser One and the other guards looked around, thinking that one of their own men had said it. I took the momentary distraction to fly out of sight of the guards, and gain a little ground on my destination. But with thirteen Andalites with great vision patrolling the hall, with dracon beams and bug spray, this wasn't going to be easy.  
  
And as if that wasn't hard enough, one of them had managed to spray me with the bug spray, and I was rapidly losing altitude. I couldn't tell whether I would make it into the door, or fall to the ground in front of it. But it was my only choice to try to make it.  
  
*Tobias*  
  
I woke up in a flash. ::What a dream!:: I thought. ::I mean, if birds even HAVE dreams.:: I had dreamed that I was Ax, stuck on some strange Yeerk ship. How odd... 


	7. Chapter 7: Animorphs

CHAPTER 7  
Cassie  
  
  
  
  
  
I opened my eyes, and sat up. Blinked, looked around, and blinked again.  
  
Had that been a dream, or had the Ellimist really visited me? Or both? I wondered. I looked up, at the sky. The sun was rising in the east.  
  
"It must be around six 'o'clock," I said.  
  
"Yeah," somebody behind me said. I jumped.  
  
"Marco, you startled me!"  
  
He didn't blink, or laugh, or even smile. He just said: "I need to ask you a few things."  
  
"Okay..." I didn't know what else to say.  
  
"One: Has Jake ever acted like this before?"  
  
"Like what?" I asked.  
  
"I believe you know. He's so anxious about something. He has a wild look in his eyes..."  
  
I hesitated, and nodded. "Yes..."  
  
Marco frowned, sensing that I had hesitated. "Two: Jake has lost almost everybody dear to him. His family, Rachel, you... all dead. Ax, kidnapped. Earth, almost fully destroyed or enslaved by Andalite-Controllers. I fear he is going to pull off something very dangerous. Has this happenend... you know... in your timeline?"  
  
Marco was definitely getting warmer. "Yes," I said weakly. Since when had Marco become so mature?  
  
"Three: In your timeline, everybody else except you in the Animorph group is dead. Did Tobias and I die getting dragged into one of Jake's missions... his most dangerous one?"  
  
I couldn't talk, but Marco seemed to sense my answer. He nodded, and walked away.  
  
I stood up, and thought. 'Jake is leaving at 5:00 PM, and it was already 7:00 AM. That gave me ten hours to try to stop him.' My stomach rumbled. 'But first....'  
  
*Jake*  
  
The Yeerks would pay for everything. They had to be stopped.  
  
There was a way. I knew there was. It was simple. And the Yeerks wouldn't take anymore. Yes... very simple. The only thing supplying the Human and Andalite-Controllers was the Kandrona Transport Ship. Without it, the Yeerks would be forced to retreat.  
  
I would have to destroy the ship.  
  
I would have to give my life.  
  
It didn't matter anymore, just as long as this all stopped.  
  
::Tobias.:: I called. ::Tobias!::  
  
::One 'o'clock, buddy.:: He said.  
  
::What?:: I said.  
  
::It means a little to the right, okay?:: He answered. ::Are you sure this is a good idea?:: He was skeptical.  
  
No, I said to myself. Then I scolded myself. Now was no time to back out of it. I started to run faster.  
  
I was in tiger morph.  
  
::A quarter mile to go,:: said Tobias. ::Jake, you really shouldn't do this. Look, I can go by myself... I mean... it's not like there's anything here for me, anyway.::  
  
::There's nothing here for me, either.:: I said.  
  
::Yes, there is! There's the rest of the Animorphs. You're the leader, man. They need you.::  
  
::They?:: I said. ::Only Marco and you are left. Cassie's really dead, Ax gone, Rachel... look, I'm going and that's that.::  
  
Tobias thought-sighed. ::Whatever you say. Fifty yards to go. Forty.:: He counted down the yards.  
  
I saw the ship appear on the horizon. It gleamed, like it was newly polished.   
  
I also saw two other figures.  
  
A gorilla and a wolf.  
  
And without second thought, I attacked them.  
  
*Ax*  
  
I was getting closer... closer...  
  
Then, right before I landed, the ship jolted. Power failure!  
  
I didn't hesitate. I crawled into the operation room and began to demorph. The bug spray slowly disappeared.  
  
I hastily looked around for a place to take cover. There was a door in the corner. I ran over to it and opened the door.  
  
It was a storage room. It was tiny, and was full of all kinds of odd equipment. And one other thing.  
  
I swiveled my eyestalks in it's direction.  
  
I couldn't believe my eyes.  
  
::Rachel?::  
  
  
**Woo-hoo, don't you HATE cliff-hangers? Haha. Sorry it takes so long between chapters. I'm so busy 'cause of school and stuff ((heh-heh, what a wonderful excuse)). I'll try to update more often, I promise.** 


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